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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. key — for a lock
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mug — a cup
  6. prune — to trim
  7. key — in music
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bound — certain
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wax — to grow
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com